1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to printing systems for loading recording media into a printer prior to printing. More specifically, the present invention concerns a printing system in which the loading speed of the recording medium into the printer prior to printing is automatically selected by a printer driver based upon print modes and conditions. The printing system of the present invention also allows and which allows print head cleaning and maintenance processes to occur concurrently with the loading of the recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional printers have heretofore employed several different methods for loading of a recording medium into the printer prior to the printing of ink upon the recording medium. Typically, conventional printers utilize an arrangement whereby a mechanism is provided to load the recording medium into the printer, a separate roller is provided to advance the recording medium during printing, and a print head is provided on a carriage for scanning across the recording medium during printing. Such a printer typically loads the recording medium into the printer prior to printing by engaging the recording medium with a loading mechanism, such as a special roller, which then advances the recording medium to a predetermined position within the printer for subsequent printing by at least one print head.
For example, a conventional printer typically interfaces with printer driver software within a computing device, such as a personal computer, that is attached to the printer. The printer driver software interfaces with an application software module residing within the personal computer and thereby receives a print request from the application software modules. The printer driver then translates the print request into a series of printer commands and printer data to be sent from the personal computer to the printer. For a multiple page request, the printer driver then sends a command to the printer instructing the printer to load a first page of paper, then a command to print data for that page, then a command to eject that page from the printer, followed by a command to load a new page for printing. Thus, the total amount of time required for printing of a multiple-page print request is directly affected by the time expended loading each page of paper during the print job.
Conventional printers generally determine paper load speed within the printer firmware based upon print modes and conditions. Although this arrangement provided for efficiency and reliability in the loading of a recording medium into the printer, the inventors of the present invention have recognized that a more thorough determination of load speed can be made in the printer driver and then sent to the printer with the load command. This improves performance of the load because an improper loading speed may result in loading a recording medium at too low of a speed or loading a recording medium at too fast of a loading speed. For instance, the ability of a loading mechanism to engage a particular recording medium is dependent upon the surface characteristics of that particular recording medium.
A page of plain printing paper is generally easier for a loading mechanism to engage than a page of glossy paper. Therefore, a page of plain paper can generally be engaged and loaded by the loading mechanism at a higher speed than a page of glossy paper without experiencing slippage or an error during the loading process. Slippage during the loading process results in a greater amount of time expended to load the recording medium, and an error during the loading process results in additional time expended to retry loading the recording medium and may ultimately result in a total failure of the print job.
In addition to slippage during loading, conventional printers sometimes use a load speed that does not correspond to the speeds at which a page of recording medium is to be printed and ejected. Conventional printers typically use a single motor to load, line feed the page during printing, and eject the page after printing. Thus, inconsistent load, line feed and eject speeds result in delays while the single motor ramps from one speed to another.
It is further recognized by the inventors of the present invention that a slower loading speed may be beneficial during a retry attempt to load the paper after a prior failure to load the paper, thereby increasing the probability that the loading mechanism will engage and successfully load the paper during the retry attempt.
It has been further recognized by the inventors that the user of the printing system may desire to set a lower load speed in certain situations, such as at night, thereby reducing the noise generated by the loading process.
In addition, conventional printers typically postpone other necessary pre-printing activities and processes until loading of the recording medium is complete. For example, a conventional printer may perform certain print head maintenance operations before printing each page of recording medium. Such maintenance operations may include the wiping and pre-firing of the print head to ensure that the print head is in an acceptable printing condition. Conventional printers generally wait until the recording medium has been loaded successfully before performing such pre-printing maintenance operations. Although this arrangement results in reliable and improved printer performance, the inventors of the present invention have recognized that waiting until the recording medium is loaded successfully before starting print head maintenance operations requires increased time before printing can begin.
Another pre-printing function involves the processing by the printer driver of print data representing the image to be printed. The printer driver then transmits the print data to the printer for interpretation by the printer firmware into print head signals so as to recreate the image on the recording medium. The transfer of the print data to the printer is typically not started until the printer driver receives an indication from the printer firmware that the current page of recording medium has loaded successfully. While this arrangement provides for reliable performance and reduces the loss of print data in the event that the recording medium is not loaded successfully, it also results in increased time expended prior to printing while waiting to transmit print data until the recording medium has been successfully loaded. To the extent that time is saved by transmitting print data during the loading of the recording medium, the above arrangement is unsatisfactory.
Therefore, what is needed is a printing system that provides for selection of a speed for loading recording media based upon the type of recording medium being loaded, the resolution of the image to be printed on the recording medium, prior unsuccessful load attempts, and other printer-related variables and conditions. In addition, a printing system is needed that allows other pre-printing tasks and processes to take place during the loading of the printing medium, and that allows for the transmission of print data from the printer driver to the printer during the loading of the recording medium without risking the loss of print data.
The present invention addresses the foregoing by providing a printing system whereby a printer driver determines a load speed for loading the recording medium, the selection being based upon the type of recording medium, the resolution of the image to be printed, previous unsuccessful load attempts, and other printer-related variables and conditions. As a result, a load speed determined by the printer driver is sent to the printer for loading the recording medium in the fastest and reliable manner. The present invention also provides for the selection, in a similar manner, of the line feed speed utilized to advance the recording medium during printing, and of the eject speed utilized to eject the recording medium from the printer.
The present invention also addresses the foregoing by providing a printing system in which other pre-printing processes, such as print head wiping and cleaning, can take place concurrently with the loading of the recording medium. Moreover, the present invention allows the printer driver to transmit print data from the printer driver to the printer prior to the completion of the loading of the recording medium. As a result, significant time is saved prior to the start of the printing of the recording medium, thereby increasing efficiency and performance during the entire print job.
In particular, the present invention relates to a printing system to control the loading of recording medium into a printer in which a load speed is determined by the printer driver based upon the type of recording medium to be loaded, the printing modes required for the image to be printed, the time of day, and other printer-related conditions. The aforementioned factors are examined in order to select an appropriate load speed from one of at least two different load speeds, one of which is a high load speed and one of which is a low load speed being slower than the high load speed. The selection of load speed is based upon the foregoing factors so as to select the fastest load speed that will also provide for reliable loading of the recording medium. In a case where it is determined that a recording medium should be loaded using a high load speed, a printer is instructed by the printer driver to load the recording medium using the high load speed. On the other hand, in a case where it is determined that the recording medium should be loaded using the low load speed, the printer is instructed by the printer driver to load the recording medium using the low load speed.
As a result, the loading of recording medium is improved by the present invention due to the shortened time required for loading of the recording medium when a high load speed is used, and due to an increased probability of success when a low load speed is utilized to ensure successful loading of the recording medium. For example, a particular print request from an application software module may require the use of plain paper, in a normal resolution mode, during normal business hours. These print-related factors support the selection of a high load speed. In contrast, if the print job required printing of an image in a high resolution color mode, then a low load speed would be selected to provide reliable printing of the print data, despite the fact that the other factors supported the use of a high load speed. Therefore, the selection of a high load speed is preferred only when it can support reliable loading of the recording medium based upon the type of recording medium to be loaded and the print modes, conditions and requirements related to the given print job.
In a related aspect, the present invention also provides a printing system to control the loading of recording medium into a printer in which a load speed is selected from one of multiple load speeds based upon the foregoing factors and upon a determination that a prior load attempt was unsuccessful. In this regard, if the user has chosen to retry loading the recording medium after an unsuccessful load attempt, a low load speed is selected to provide a greater probability of success during the retry attempt to load the recording medium.
In a further related aspect, the present invention provides a printing system in which a printer driver selects the line feed speed by which the recording medium is passed through the printer during the printing process, and also selects the eject speed at which the recording medium is ejected from the printer after the printing process is complete. The aforementioned printing speed and eject speed are selected from multiple line feed printing speeds and eject speeds based upon the type of recording medium being used, the print modes required for the given print job, the time of day, and other printer-related modes and conditions. As a result of this further aspect of the present invention, the fastest printing speed and eject speed can be selected based upon the type of recording medium being used and the modes and conditions related to the given print job while also ensuring reliability and performance during the printing of the recording medium and during ejection of the recording medium. The time saved by utilizing faster print and eject speeds when appropriate, and by avoiding printing and ejection errors caused by utilizing faster speeds than are appropriate, result in overall efficiency, and reliable performance for the entire print job.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a printing system for controlling the loading of recording medium into a printer to be printed whereby the execution of other pre-printing processes and tasks are executed concurrently, thereby reducing the time required to prepare the printer prior to the printing of an image on the recording medium. In particular, once it is determined that the loading of the recording medium is properly underway, then other pre-printing tasks and processes, such as print head cleaning and pre-firing, can be performed concurrently with the loading of the recording medium.
Due to the foregoing, the present invention provides a system for controlling the loading of a recording medium into a printer whereby the amount of time required to prepare the printer for printing is reduced, thereby allowing the printer to begin printing more quickly after successful completion of loading the recording medium. For example, after the printer has started loading the recording medium, it is determined whether the loading was started properly and whether the loading is proceeding properly. If both of these conditions are met, concurrent tasks are initiated to wipe excess ink from the print heads and to pre-fire ink from the print heads in order to ensure that the print heads are in at least a good condition for printing. In this manner, efficiency is improved in preparing the printer for printing while still maintaining reliability of performance.
In a related aspect, the present invention also provides a printing system to control the loading of recording medium into a printer in which the printer determines, prior to the completion of the loading of the recording medium, that the loading will be successful thereby allowing the printer driver to transmit print data to the printer prior to actual completion of the loading of the recording medium. In this manner, the time required to prepare the printer prior to printing is reduced such that overall efficiency of the print job is increased. In the preferred embodiment, once it is determined that the leading edge of the recording medium has been loaded into the printer within a predetermined time threshold, and that the type of recording medium allows for recovery of the loading sequence in the event of an error, an xe2x80x9cearly successxe2x80x9d flag is provided to the printer driver so that the printer driver can transmit print data prior to completion of the loading sequence. In this manner, the printer driver can begin transmitting print data to the printer prior to completion of the loading of the recording medium if there are early indications that the loading of the recording medium will be successful.
This brief summary has been provided so that the nature of the invention may be understood quickly. A more complete understanding of the invention can be obtained by reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments thereof in connection with the attached drawings.